Tomato, Semolina, and Coriander Soup

This is a surprisingly hearty stew, perfect for a chilly day. The only major change I made was to substitute a large can of San Marzano tomatoes for 500g peeled and chopped tomatoes (and in the process ended up adding about 200g extra tomato-ey goodness). To me, this tastes like a fall and winter soup ... definitely not peak tomato season! I also blended the soup before adding the semolina to make the texture a little bit smoother. You could skip this step, but I like a smooth soup. The water in this recipe may seem like a lot, but once the semolina is added, the soup gets ridiculously thick. Make sure you use a pot big enough to handle all the liquid. Finally, I used corn semolina because that's what I had in the cupboard. Corn + tomatoes just seems to make sense to me, but you could certainly use regular. I ate this with fresh bread to dip and garnished with a bit of aged cheddar cheese. It's excellent without the cheese, but I needed more dairy!

One other note, this cook book was published in the UK, so most of the ingredients are measured by weight, not volume. I'm making good use of my new kitchen scale with this book and finding it much easier than using cup measurements. My apologies in advance though if it makes the recipes more difficult to follow. You can always try to ask me for equivalents.

Tomato, Semolina, and Coriander Soup (from Plenty by Ottolenghi)

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chopped thyme
50g cilantro, chopped and divided
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 796ml can San Marzano tomatoes (see note above)
6 cups of water
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
150g semolina (I used corn)
salt and black pepper
cheese for garnish, entirely optional
bread for dipping, entirely optional

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot (or large dutch oven). Add onion, celery, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, thyme, and half of the cilantro. Saute until the onion is golden and soft (this should smell amazing).
2. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few more minutes.
4. Add the water and sugar, bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes.
5. With an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (optional).
6. Add the semolina in a slow stream as you whisk vigorously.
7. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to avoid large lumps.
8. Before serving, add additional water if necessary and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with remaining cilantro.